Teachers only work in the morning and have plenty of free (vacation) time? Not at all! Teachers work much more than they need to. And what about working time recording for teachers? If you are reluctant and who really wants them, read the blog.
Update Q4/2024: Report on recording working time among teachers
A new expert opinion by Frank Mussmann (University of Göttingen) and Mark Rackles, published by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, highlights the need for a working time tracking for teachers. Based on studies and legal requirements, it highlights eight key areas of action:
- Annual working time model: Working hours should be flexibly balanced over the school year.
- Clear task profiles: Activities and positions must be clearly defined.
- Task weighting: Extracurricular tasks should be assessed on a time-differentiated basis.
- Digital capture: App-based solutions enable secure and mobile work time recording.
- Staff development: School leaders need resources for implementation.
- Data protection-compliant collection: Teachers should record independently and without performance checks.
- Working time accounts: Long-term documentation and compensation options create legal certainty.
- Phased introduction: Start with pilot projects, comprehensive implementation within three years.
The expertise “Teachers' working time under pressure” Underlines the need for reform of the deputy-hour model and calls for modern approaches to better manage working time, overload and resources. It offers concrete solutions to make overtime visible and comprehensively record teachers' work.
The report makes it clear that systematic recording of working time for teachers is not only necessary under employment law, but also an opportunity to distribute the workload more fairly and improve school organization. Clear task profiles, digital recording solutions and transparent working time accounts could reduce overloads and make the diverse activities of teachers more visible.
However, implementation requires a rethink: away from a rigid department model towards flexible and data protection-compliant solutions that take into account both the needs of teachers and the organizational requirements of schools. The expertise provides a realistic roadmap for this and lays the foundation for sustainable improvements in teachers' working environments.
Time clock verdict: What effects does it have for teachers?
In 2019, the so-called Time clock ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ), which states that member states must oblige employers to introduce an objective and reliable system for recording working time. However, the ECJ ruling did not set a time frame for the implementation of this obligation to record working time.
Only in September 2022, the Federal Labour Court (BAG) specified The European Verdict for Germany. Since then, it has been clear that the introduction of working time recording is mandatory! But: Does the obligation also apply to teachers*?
ℹ️ Due to better readability, the term “teacher” is used as an example for all teachers (m/f/d).
Does the obligation to record working hours also apply to teachers?
Briefly and concisely:
Basically yes! This is because the obligation to record working time applies in Germany regardless of the activity or industry. Although there are exceptions for certain positions (executive or managing director), the BAG ruled that working time must always be recorded. Basis for this Forms of the Occupational Health and Safety Act. All employers are therefore required to provide a time tracking system to set up and use.
This obligation to record working time therefore also applies to teachers, civil servants and members of science, although the BAG does not provide any precise information on how working time recording must be carried out. The precise design is the responsibility of the legislator. A first draft bill from the Ministry of Labour has been available since April 2023, but has not yet been implemented.
But one thing is clear: The daily work of teachers includes different work locations and a wide range of tasks, so that a particularly flexible solution for time recording is necessary. Digital time recording systems such as ZEP offer a good option here. They enable flexible recording of working time via various channels such as browsers or apps, which enables location-independent documentation.
Exemption for Teachers: How many hours do teachers really work?
Mark Rackles, former State Secretary for Education and Vice President of the SPD in Berlin, has accused the ministers of education that they “have no great interest” in a Recording teachers' actual working time Have. However, this would be necessary to show that teachers generally work more than required by the collective agreement.
The problem: The work organization model in schools is based on an outdated system from the 19th century, which has never been adapted to the requirements of modern education. The system simply determines the number of lessons per week that a teacher has to give. All other tasks — such as lesson preparation and follow-up, corrections, parental meetings — remain unclear and depend on the teachers' individual work performance. In practice, this means that teachers work around 47 hours on average — at least!
What are the challenges of teachers' working hours?
By international standards, teachers in Germany work many hours but have shorter teaching times. Rackles notes that the German working time model not only promotes overwork for teachers, but is also inefficient. The biggest burden factors lie in bureaucratic effort and data collection. Tasks that would be performed by assistant teachers or students in other countries.
That In September 2022, Federal Labor Court Decided that employees in Germany should spend their entire (!) Need to record working time. However, very little or nothing has happened in this regard in the school service since then. Rackles doubts that the working group formed by the Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs has little interest in tackling the issue of recording working time for teachers. Why If Teachers' actual working hours were recorded, it would be clear that up to 30,000 additional teachers would be needed, which in turn would further exacerbate the existing teacher shortage.
Design: Alternative to the Current Working Time Model for Teachers
In his Report for the Telekom Foundation Rackle's outlines an alternative to the current working time model for teachers. He suggests using “annual working time as a basis of assessment” to record all hours worked and not just compulsory hours related to teaching. The allocation of working time should be based on the workload of the subjects and school levels — not on the type of school, as has been the case up to now. A reform to this effect was essential to make the teaching profession attractive again for young professionals and to encourage motivated teachers to return from part-time to full-time.
Rethinking working time models: What needs to change?
The Introduction of Comprehensive Time Recording Could Create Transparency and Trigger a Necessary Discussion about the Actual Activities of Teachers:
⏱️ Complete recording of all working hours, not just lessons
📚 Clearer definition and recognition of times for instruction-related activities
⚖️ Comparing actual working time with target working time to identify overloads
💰 Adjustment of remuneration to total working hours, not just to assigned lessons
🗣️ Promoting an open discussion about the distribution of tasks and the workload of teachers
Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs calls for exceptions to working time recording for teachers
Following the publication of the BMAS draft bill, it became clear that there should be no specific exemptions for teachers and scientists. In response, Berlin's Education Senator and President of the Conference of Ministers of Education (KMK) Katharina Günther-Wünsch wrote a letter to Federal Minister of Labour Hubertus Heil urging special legal regulations for these professional groups. She complained that the draft did not adequately take into account the “special situation of teachers,” as their working hours could not be measured or could only be measured in part, in particular in extracurricular activities. These times could neither be predicted in advance nor controlled by the employer. Suitable software for recording working time could help, but KMK does not go far enough.
Günther-Wünsch also stated that the planned obligation to record working hours would only apply to teachers working on collective agreements, which could restrict the flexibility of work management. The Federal Ministry of Labour responded that there are no fundamental exceptions to Obligation to record working time Could give to teachers. Civil servants were also not exempted from this obligation, as the European concept of employee also includes civil servants and the time clock rulings of the ECJ and FOPH are therefore applicable to civil servants. The Request for an Exemption Provision was rejected because the Regulations of the Working Hours Act already apply to employees in schools and universities and would not be changed by recording working time for teachers.
This is how teachers (associations) react
When discussing working time recording for teachers, you often only hear political voices. But what do teachers think? A study has begun in Berlin for the 2023/24 school year, in which thousands of teachers record their working hours down to the minute, and Hamburg is planning something similar. Saxony wants to introduce working time recording for teachers in all types of schools from August 2024 in order to clarify the actual weekly workload. According to the Baden-Württemberg Philologists' Association, teachers want their working hours to be reliably recorded, as they work on average significantly more than the annual 1804 civil service hours. Parttime workers are particularly affected by the workload, as additional appointments such as conferences are added.
Two teachers from Baden-Württemberg, supported by the Philologists' Association, have Complaints about working time recording for teachers filed before the Stuttgart Administrative Court. They had recorded their actual working hours over the years and found that they were working well in excess of the planned 1800 hours per year. Despite the obligation to record working hours established by several courts, there is no such system for teachers in any German Federal State. The lawsuits relate to these overtime hours and studies that show that teachers work more on average than expected without receiving compensation. The chances of success in court are good, as the basic ruling on the Foph's time recording obligation applies even without a new law. Further lawsuits could follow if the Federal Government continues to address the issue slowly.
Working time recording for teachers: Software & apps help
The Introduction of Working Time Recording for Teachers Could Possibly Bring About a Change of Perspective with Regard to the Working Time Model in General. Recording actual working time, i.e. actual working time, requires a comparison with the target working time. The model currently in use only pays teachers according to the lessons they have completed. The times for activities related to teaching (preparation, follow-up, corrections) and other tasks (parent meetings) remain only vaguely defined in the current model. However, if employers are required to record 100 percent of working time and thus also to compare 100 percent of working time with target working hours, the current hourly model for teachers may quickly prove inadequate.
At first glance, this may seem like a bureaucratic measure, but on closer inspection, there are numerous benefits that can lead to a more efficient way of working and, above all, to a better work-life balance for educators. Basic requirement: All participants — teachers, schools and politicians in the form of ministries of education — must be open to recording working time for teachers. With the right tools, you can also “stamp” anywhere. With ZEP, Teachers can record their actual working time in detail — on the computer or via time tracking app. It also allows you to create a separate overtime account for each teacher and thus keep a close eye on who has worked and for how long.
Working time recording for teachers: These are the benefits of ZEP!
However, software such as ZEP offers various advantages not only for teachers. School Administrations also benefit, as the data from ZEP makes it possible to precise resource planning to avoid bottlenecks as much as possible and to distribute the workload fairly. Efficient school management can improve working conditions and increase teacher satisfaction.
Conclusion
The Introduction of Working Time Recording for Teachers is not just a bureaucratic measure, but an important initiative to make actual workload and time transparent. The time clock ruling by the European Court of Justice obliges employers to implement such a system, which also applies to teachers. Although there has been little progress in implementation so far, initiatives such as lawsuits from teachers and the introduction of working time recording software in some federal states show increased awareness of the issue.
Comprehensive working time recording offers numerous benefits, including transparency, fair distribution of work, flexibility and legal protection for teachers. ZEP and similar software solutions can help not only teachers but also school administrators to plan resources more efficiently and improve working conditions. Reforming the working time model for teachers could make the job more attractive and contribute to Work-life balance to promote. Ultimately, recording working time for teachers is a step towards a more equitable and efficient working environment in education.
FAQs
Do teachers really have to record their working hours?
Yes, the obligation to track working hours in Germany applies to all employees, regardless of their occupation. The Federal Labour Court has ruled that teachers’ working hours must also be recorded, although the specific implementation has yet to be determined.
What are the challenges of recording working time for teachers?
The greatest challenges lie in the diversity of tasks and workplaces of teachers, as well as in the flexibility required for appropriate time tracking. The current working time model is based on outdated structures and needs to be adapted to the modern demands of pedagogy.
What are the benefits of working time recording software such as ZEP for teachers and school administrators?
Such software provides transparency, fair workload distribution, flexibility, and legal security for teachers. For school administrations, it enables precise resource planning and improved working conditions. ZEP and similar solutions can increase efficiency and promote a healthy work-life balance.
